Viperion's Comeback
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Sequel to "Snakebitten." Marinette's reunited with Viperion after several months of long-distance dating, but now he's a movie star! And after the premier, Marinette hangs out with her scaly boyfriend, unaware that they're being tracked by an insane ringmaster who wants Luka back in the circus world for his own personal gain. But was that movie all a farce? Season 3 spoilers


**Okay, here's the sequel to "Snakebitten," based on the "Growing Up Creepie" episode "The Return of Tarantula Boy." In this one-shot, Marinette and Luka/Viperion are reunited after several months of long-distance dating, but now he's a movie star instead of a sideshow attraction! And after the premier, Marinette hangs out with her scaly boyfriend, unaware that they're being tracked by an insane ringmaster named Hawk Moth, who wants Luka back in the circus world for his own personal gain. **

**But was that film all a farce? I think those who read "Snakebitten" will know the answer to that.  
**

**By the way, Hawk Moth and Gabriel Agreste aren't the same person in this one, okay?**

**Now, I don't want ANYONE making ANY COMMENTS about the season finale. I want to remain in suspense for the next month because we still have two more episodes in the Season - Cat Blanc and Félix (though judging by the trailer, I have a hunch Félix isn't even real!), so I'm not going to watch the season finale until AFTER those air, okay? **

* * *

_Looking up from the bottom, a shadowy figure holding something leaped across rooftops, backlit by the full moon. He landed on the next rooftop, only for spotlights from helicopters to rain down. The shadow wasn't lit up, but it was clear that whoever it was was spooked and continued running across the roof. _

_He landed in between too buildings. As he stood up, the shadow looked like a giant cobra, and started approaching the light. _

_"From the furthest reaches of evil's imagination, comes the fear-fest that is..." The voice-over began._

_Teal-tipped black haired young man emerged from the shadows. He wearing a cyan suit that had a paler underbelly, the fabric was snake-like in texture, and he had a chartreuse diamond on his chest. He had a mask on his face. The top half was a darker shade of teal while the bottom was a paler tint. The mask framed his green eyes, and it had fang-like features underneath. If one looked at it at just the right angle, it actually looked like a snake's face. He was holding a lyre that had a similar pattern to his outfit in his hand. _

_"Viperion!" The voice-over continued._

_He ran through the streets, jumping and doing tumbles everywhere he went. He leaped up and grabbed the edge of a windowsill, hanging there and looking down at everyone. _

_People were looking on and screaming. The police copter lights kept shining down him, but he only smiled. He looked down and saw a few people robbing a nearby bank. _

_"He's a fearsome serpent with an insatiable hunger..." The voice-over spoke. _

_He jumped down and faced the two robbers, glaring them down. _

_"For justice!" The voice-over continued. _

_He put his lyre on his waist and started fighting the robbers. But while they were larger and stronger, he was more nimble and agile. Every hit he tried to land didn't do much. He soon found himself backed into a corner. _

_"But he's not alone. He's got friends of the scaliest kind!" _

_Viperion smirked and played a few notes on his lyre. Hissing could be heard, and then the two criminals were confronted with a giant anaconda and a king cobra. They were all hissing at the two crooks. Viperion played another two notes, signaling the snakes to pounce on the two robbers. The anaconda started to constrict one while the cobra flared out its hood to make itself look bigger while showing its fangs. _

_The crooks were too scared to continue. The anaconda released its catch and the cobra lowered its body. _

_The cops brought the robbers into the car, while one of them shook hands with Viperion. _

_"Come and see Viperion! Now in theaters!" _

"Ooh!" Students murmured as they saw the trailer on Alya's phone. This included her boyfriend, Nino, and a few other classmates.

"I'm not joshing you guys, he's real! And Marinette _actually_ went on a date with him when he was in town with the carnival's freak show!" Alya insisted as she went through her phone.

She showed the group the selfie that she, Marinette, and Viperion took together.

"Wow!" "Are you serious?!" "Awesome!"

"Not just that, but check this out," Alya said as she pulled up a picture of her sisters with the twin bears that Viperion won. "He's the one who won the toy bears that my sisters can't get enough of! They love them so much that they're their favorite toys now. All thanks to Viperion!"

"This is so awesome!" "Yeah, Marinette being friends with a movie star?" "Don't forget, she designed for Jagged Stone _and_ got recognition from both Gabriel Agreste _and_ Audrey Bourgeois!" "Totally! Marinette's got some celebrity friends of her own, doesn't she?"

"Speak of the devil, there she is!" Nino said, pointing out Marinette, who had just arrived in the school courtyard.

The crowd immediately swarmed Marinette for attention and started bombarding her with questions about Viperion.

Marinette wasn't really comfortable with everyone getting her space, looking around at everyone anxiously.

_"OMG, OMG, OMG!"_ Chloé and Sabrina squealed. _"What's Viperion like in person?!" _

"Does he constantly wear teal blue? For a monster, he has good fashion sense!" Chloé asked.

"Did you hold hands with him?! Did he kiss you?!" Sabrina questioned.

"You'd better get us his autograph, Dupain-Cheng!" Chloé barked.

"He's going to be at his premier tonight, isn't he?!" Sabrina asked.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on everyone!" Marinette said as she squeezed out of her crowd and started walking away. Everyone was following her. "A: the whole human-snake hybrid thing is a bunch of baloney. He's just a normal boy our age named Luka. B: the show's such a box office hit that they sold out of both paper _and_ e-tickets before I could get a chance."

Marinette soon bumped into someone and fell on the ground.

"Marinette!" Alya said as she ran to help her BFF stand up.

"I have a special delivery for Marinette Dupain-Cheng." A delivery man said. He was holding a giant bouquet of pink roses and it had a card attached to it.

"That's me." Marinette said, identifying herself.

He gave the young teenager the bouquet before leaving. Marinette inhaled the floral scent of the roses, then opened the card. Inside were two VIP tickets to the movie with Viperion's image inside.

"Tickets to the movie?!" Marinette spoke in surprise.

"Wow, girl! You lucked out! I'll bet your cobra beau sent that to you." Alya bragged.

Marinette's phone beeped to alert her to a text message.

She opened it up and said, "Wow, Alya. You're right. It says, "Hey there, Marinette. Hope you like the flowers. I saved you two tickets to my movie tonight, so you can bring a friend along if you'd like." Talk about a thoughtful guy."

"Marinette," Chloé said, pulling Marinette closer to her. "Listen, I _know_ I've been a bitch to you in the past, but we can put that behind us, can't we? I mean, sure, he's a venomous snake that bites things and eats them after they're dead, which is _ridiculous, utterly ridiculous_ and all, but _hello_, he's a movie star! If you take me along, I _promise _to be nicer to you!"

Marinette heaved a sigh. She knew that promise wasn't likely to be kept.

"Um... I'd like to go," Someone said. Marinette looked up and saw Adrien Agreste, the son of her favorite fashion designer and one of her friends. He was scratching the back of his head shyly. "This Viperion fellow seems like someone special if he's caught your eye."

Nino shook his head. He knew his best friend was just trying to find an excuse to get Marinette's affection.

"You know..." Lila stated as she cuddled up closer to Marinette. "I've _met_ Viperion before. He played his lyre for me. I can get the two of you alone if you'd like."

Marinette knew Lila was full of crap, but she knew better than to scratch an itch.

"Actually, I think I know _just_ the person to bring with me," Marinette said with a smile. She moved out of Lila's space before approaching Alya. "How about you, Alya? You interested?"

"OMG, girl, you _KNOW_ I am!" Alya said as the pair of girls shared a fist-bump and then a hug.

Lila hissed while Chloé pouted and shouted, "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

That evening, the girls were waiting outside the movie theatre. The line was around the building three times. Marinette caught sight of the ringmaster that was involved with the freak show that Luka was in.

"Don't go lumping Viperion in with those other fake movie monsters from Hollywood. I captured him when I found him in the Sahara desert. _Viperion is REAL!_" The ringmaster shouted as the reporters were getting in his space. He held up merchandise with Viperion's face all over it.

Marinette and Alya were watching, and Marinette sighed and said, "Poor Luka... And they say snakes are evil in some cultures."

Someone was watching from a nearby dark alley. He was surrounded by black butterflies.

"I finally found that crafty snake..." A dark man stated coldly.

Inside the movie theatre, Marinette and Alya were watching as the movie was nearing the conclusion.

_Viperion was backing up, confronted by two snake poachers. Several snakes were quickly slithering to safety, meanwhile Viperion had his lyre ready to fight. _

_"You think you can just take our merch and let it go free?!" The lead poacher shouted. _

_"Yes! Snakes are vital to this land!" Viperion said as he held his lyre out. One snake wrapped around his leg protectively. "They're not products for your illegal trade!" _

_"Hah. The local Kenyans don't seem to be on your side of the argument," The other poacher taunted as he held his gun up to Viperion. "They all think serpents are evil. If we poach YOU, they'll see us as heroes!" _

_"_I'm_ the hero here," Viperion said as he saw an opening in the jungle. "But don't think this is the last you've heard from me. I'll free those snakes." _

_Viperion then dashed into the foliage to hide. His new snake friend followed him. _

_"We'll get you, snake boy! If it's the last thing we ever do!" The lead poacher said. _

_The scene cut to credits with "The End?" _

Marinette was joining the remainder of the audience in giving the movie a standing ovation. Alya sat in her seat and only gave slow claps.

"Up there! There's Viperion!" Someone else shouted from the crowd.

Up on top of the screen was Viperion in the shadows. He jumped down with a few backwards somersaults, landed on the stage on both feet, then stood tall with a smug smile.

Everyone crowded closer to Viperion, "oohing" in awe. He gave a smirk and hiss while playing his lyre. Everyone started screaming, minus Marinette.

After a few more notes on his lyre, everyone cleared out of the movie theater like bats out of hell. Even Alya made a break for it (though Marinette imagined that was just an excuse to leave her alone with Viperion).

Viperion looked at the empty theater house, sighing dejectedly at the familiar sight. Then he noticed someone out of his peripheral vision.

"Marinette! You're here!" He said, delighted.

"Hey Luka!" Marinette said, waving to her boyfriend. "Nice movie. And it's great to see you."

"It's great to see you too, babe." Viperion said as he leaped off the stage and jogged over to Marinette. He took her hands into his own. Marinette leaned onto his chest, and he gave her hands a gentle squeeze of affection.

After half an hour of talking and catching up with each other, Viperion brought Marinette to the back exit of the theatre to leave.

"After you." Viperion said as he pushed the door open for Marinette.

"Thanks, Luka." Marinette said as she passed through the door.

"You sure you're okay with me being in costume?" Luka asked as he looked himself over. "It scares most people."

"What scares other people makes _me_ feel safe, Luka," Marinette said as she started to walk. "_You_ make me feel safe."

Viperion gave a smile at that comment. With a happy sigh and shrug, he then started to follow her as the two of them left the cinema.

A net fell from the sky and missed them, and above the net were a few butterflies flitting around.

"Damn, missed." A voice said.

Marinette immediately brought Viperion to the ice rink, and they were waiting in line for their rental skates.

"Ever ice skated before?" Marinette asked him.

"Once or twice." Viperion confirmed.

The clerk brought out two pairs of skates and said, "Okay, we have one women's size 37 and one men's size 42..."

But once he noticed Viperion was there, he smiled and said, "Holy guacamole! It's _Viperion!_"

Everyone on the ice noticed the snake. They all started clamoring as they got off the ice to talk to him. They surrounded him and Marinette, begging for autographs and selfies. Marinette was getting a bit uncomfortable at all of the attention, and Luka clearly noticed.

"Viperion! Give us a hiss and a song!" A member of the crowd shouted.

Luka chuckled before saying, "Okay, whatever you want."

He took his lyre out, starting playing a few notes, but then he brandished his fangs and hissed loudly. Everyone screamed and ran out of the rink building to head for the hills. This left Viperion and Marinette alone (minus the staff member of the ice rink).

"At least we have some alone time now." Luka joked as he and Marinette took their skates before going to sit down. The two of them put their skates on, both tying their laces.

"Did you see that back there, Viperion?" Marinette asked with a giggle. "Those people all scattered like... Well, like..."

"Wild pigs when they hear rattlesnakes rattling nearby?" Viperion finished with a chuckle.

He took Marinette's hand, then helped her stand. Then he Marinette onto the ice and the two of them started skating. He left Marinette standing while he started skating around.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Never heard it put quite like that." Marinette agreed while starting to skate behind him.

"There are people that _genuinely _believe that crap about me being a legitimate monster." Luka said as he kept skating.

Marinette picked up a little speed to catch up to him. Once she got next to him, he gently took her hand in his, garnering a blush from her.

"They have no idea I'm just..." Luka began.

"Just a super-sweet, normal guy named Luka," Marinette finished. "Yeah, but _I_ know. I've known from almost the beginning."

While they were still looking each other in the eyes, the two of them continued holding hands. With prompting and doing some tricks together. The snake-themed young man did an underarm turn with Marinette as they skated. It was like they were a pair of pros.

"Hey, watch this." Viperion spoke as he broke away from Marinette before skating a little bit ahead. He did some axel spins and a few jumps.

Marinette smiled at his elegant moves.

"That's amazing!" Marinette said.

"Check this out, too." Luka said as he did a triple axel in the air before landing on the ice again.

"I'll bet you attract quite a few girls like that, don't you?" Marinette joked as she skated over to him.

"Yeah, but they don't understand the true me, and more often than not, I feel like they don't _want_ to, either." Viperion admitted.

"Who wouldn't want to get know the real you?" Marinette asked him in disbelief.

"Almost everyone," Luka stated somberly. "They're all looking for status and bragging rights."

"That can't be." Marinette spoke sadly.

"But it is. Like I said, they _actually_ believe my fabricated backstory." Viperion confirmed as he took Marinette's hands.

They were spinning around on the ice while holding hands and facing each other.

"But you're not like those girls at all, Marinette. You're different, and in the absolute best way," Luka said affectionately, earning a slight gasp from her. "When we first met, I knew you weren't going to be scared off, or think I was really the snake-human hybrid that everyone makes me out to be."

"Wow..." Marinette whispered, blushing heavily. "Thank you so much."

From outside the building, the same butterflies were carrying another net, and this time they were waiting outside the ice rink. And the same man was watching Marinette and Luka together.

"Now I have you, Viperion..." He said as he saw someone open the door to the ice rink. "Drop the net!"

The butterflies dropped the next onto the person, eliciting a shout from them.

"Victory!" He shouted as his butterflies gathered up the catch and flew it over to him.

Unfortunately, the butterflies caught the ice rink staff member rather than Viperion. And he was looking at his captor in an unamused silence. He growled a little bit.

"Oh... You're not a giant snake man." He conceded before snapping his fingers. He cued his butterflies to let the man go.

Unaware of their sniper, Marinette and Viperion left the ice rink building.

"Hey Marinette? Will you show me around Paris?" He asked, oblivious to the staff member being dropped next to the side of the building.

"I'd love to!" Marinette replied as she took Luka's hand before leading him away from the rink.

About fifteen minutes later, they had found André, the ice cream vendor of love. His stand was at Canal Saint-Martin for the evening.

"A lovely young lady has found love with a charming snake!" André sang as he whipped up a sundae for the two of them.

He scooped a few different flavors of ice cream into the cup, then put two spoons into it. He handed it to the two teenagers.

"Allow me to celebrate your romance with mint chip, white chocolate, and blueberry cheesecake!" He sang as Viperion took the sundae.

"Thank you very much, André," Luka spoke in thanks. "I can't wait to try this."

"You're welcome, young lovers! Enjoy your evening and many more together!" André trilled as Marinette and Luka began walking away.

Another net fell from the sky onto André, and more black butterflies started flying around the poor ice cream man.

"Crap, not again!" The butterflies' owner griped from the shadows while the dessert vendor started freaking out.

The pair of young lovers were walking down the street, with Marinette holding the sundae dish. She and Luka each had a spoon to eat the creamy dessert, and they were taking bites from it.

"This is delicious," Viperion said after swallowing a bite. "That blueberry cheesecake ice cream is so rich and thick, and the chilly, acidic bite from the blueberries cuts through the fattiness nicely."

"Yeah, it is," Marinette agreed. "And I love how the white chocolate ice cream works with the mint chip, too."

"That André knows how to pair flavors." Viperion spoke.

"...Just like you know how to combine music notes." Marinette pointed out, blushing happily.

Viperion chuckled as the pair kept walking down the sidewalks. People's heads were turning at the sight of Viperion, they were getting their phones out, etc. But the teens were ignoring everyone else around the, blissfully enjoying their treat.

Later on, Viperion brought Marinette to the top of the Eiffel Tower (using the elevator as opposed to the romantic idea of Viperion climbing the tower from the outside while carrying Marinette on his back).

"Here we are." Luka spoke as he brought Marinette out to the observation deck.

"I love stargazing from my balcony at home," Marinette said as she went closer to the edge. "But it's even more beautiful out here."

"I couldn't agree more." Viperion agreed as he came closer to Marinette from behind.

They were still oblivious to their stalker/hunter. Yet again, he commanded his butterflies to drop a net onto Viperion. But again, he missed, this time hitting someone on a lower level of the tower. And the poor guy ended up falling off the edge.

He screamed as the butterflies wrapped the net up like a burlap sack, and brought the poor innocent back to their master.

But the butterflies' catch was so heavy that they ended up dropping the poor guy. He ended up falling right behind Marinette and Viperion, but they were too busy holding each other's gaze to notice.

When the lovers got down from the tower, Viperion took out his lyre and started playing a few tunes for Marinette. She smiled at the sound as the two of them started to go back on their way, with him still on his lyre.

The butterflies were soon following him directly instead.

As the pair kept walking down the street, Marinette stepped a little closer to Luka. Her face still pink, she said, "Luka, I have to say that you're an amazing guy to be with."

"Thanks, Marinette," Luka began. "And I feel the same way about you."

"Y... You do?" Marinette asked, looking Viperion in the eyes.

"You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note, and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the day we first met." Viperion spoke, his face showing nothing but warm affection for Marinette.

Marinette's face grew warm at that statement. She smiled before hugging his arm, feeling nothing but safety and love. A few black butterflies started flying around them.

"These few black butterflies accompanying us... It gives a nice elegant feel to the darkness, doesn't it?" Marinette asked as one butterfly landed on her nose.

"Wait, _black butterflies?_" Viperion asked, pausing in his step and putting his lyre away. "Uh oh."

"Something wrong?" Marinette asked.

He saw a swarm of butterflies carrying a net flying at them from behind.

_"Watch out!"_ Luka shouted as he shoved Marinette to the pavement while dodging the net.

The two of them tumbled a bit before they ended up sitting up.

_"Marinette, run!"_ Luka hollered as he grabbed Marinette by the hand before dashing down the block.

"Viperion, what's going on?!" Marinette questioned loudly.

"I'll explain later once we're out of sight!" Viperion shouted back.

The two of them turned a corner and hid in a back alley. Viperion held Marinette close to him and tried to slow down his breathing.

After a few minutes of hiding, Viperion peeked out and looked around. He sighed and said, "Good, it's safe."

"Luka, what was that about?" Marinette asked again.

"Long story short, ever since I left the sideshow, I've been on the run." Luka summarized.

"From who?" Marinette asked. "And why? You'd never do anything wrong."

"Well..." He began, but someone stepped forward.

In front of them was an older man with a silver mask that only showed his mouth and his cold blue eyes. He was wearing a purple suit and a butterfly-themed brooch. He also had a cane on hand. Black butterflies were surrounding him.

"It's about time I caught you, Viperion." He said with a wicked smirk.

Viperion grew stern at the sight of the man. He scowled.

"Luka, who's that?" Marinette asked as she hid behind him a bit. "Some crazed fan after your autograph?"

"Not even close. He's Hawk Moth - an insane circus ringmaster with a penchant for capturing and exploiting animals. Or in my case, reptiles." Viperion stated.

"I assume he wants you back in the circus world?" Marinette asked.

"You're right," Luka said. "But I left that behind, and I don't intend on taking it up again."

"Time to come back to the circus with me, Viperion," Hawk Moth spoke as the butterflies and the net approached. "You'll be the most popular attraction. The only..."

Viperion didn't hesitate. He took out his lyre and strummed the same notes he did in the movie trailer.

"You honestly think that playing music will keep you safe?" Hawk Moth questioned with a smirk.

Viperion and Marinette looked at each other. The former questioned Hawk Moth, "You didn't watch the film, did you?"

"No, but why?" Hawk Moth said, unaware he was being approached from behind. "It's not like..."

He heard hissing noises behind him. He turned around to see the giant anaconda and the cobra from the film. The anaconda pounced and started constricting the man while the cobra bared her fangs.

"Oh-kay..." Marinette began, watching in sheer awe before turning back to Viperion. "So the "calling giant snakes with your lyre" thing is legit?!"

"Only those two," Luka elaborated with a smile. "Marinette, allow me to introduce... My family."

Marinette gawked in shock, then looked back to the two snakes. She said, "Your _family?!_"

The anaconda threw the insane ring master into a nearby dumpster before approaching the two teenagers.

Marinette clung closer to Luka, but he said, "It's okay. They won't hurt you. The anaconda is my mom, Anarka, and the cobra is Juleka, my sister."

Anarka rose up and made eye contact with Marinette. She hissed, "You mussssst be Marinette. Luka goessss on about you constantly. You're more beautiful than he described you."

Marinette blushed, meanwhile Luka chuckled and rubbed his head.

The cobra approached. Though she was anxious about being near a deadly snake, Marinette knelt down and held her arm out. Juleka wrapped herself around Marinette's arm.

Marinette stood back up and said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewissssse," Juleka hissed quietly. "I can sssseee why my brother likessss you. He'ssss ssssaid that you're the firsssst persssson to sssstay and lissssten to hisssss mussssic."

"Juleka!" Luka spoke before chuckling. "Don't go embarrassing me like that."

Marinette looked at the two snakes before turning back to her boyfriend.

"...So I wasn't far off when I suggested that you had a deeper connection to snakes than I could have ever imagined," Marinette spoke as she looked at Luka. "But I wasn't expecting _this_. You were _raised_ by snakes?"

"Yeah, I know that's not really normal. I don't know the details, but they took me in when they found me in the desert." Luka admitted as Anarka slithered up to him.

Marinette just gave her boyfriend a smile and said, "Maybe... But what _is_ normal, anyway? This is _your_ normal."

She put Juleka down before wrapping herself up in Luka's arms. He hugged her back, his cheek resting atop her head.

"They're ssssso ssssweet together, aren't they, me lassss?" Anarka asked.

"They are." Juleka agreed.

"Well, now that I've met your family... Maybe I can introduce you to mine?" Marinette suggested.

"That'd be great." Luka agreed.

"And since it's nearly time for dinner..." Marinette said, looking at her phone clock. She then texted her mom, telling her and her dad to make enough for an extra person.

Marinette brought Luka over to her home, with Anarka and Juleka in tow.

"Well, here it is. My parents' bakery," Marinette said. "I'm sure they'll like you."

"I hope so," Luka said, then knelt down to his family. "Would you two mind making yourself scarce? I don't think Marinette's parents are going to react very well to two snakes coming into their bakery. And if I tell them you're my family, they'll probably think I'm insane."

"Aye-aye, me lad," Anarka spoke. "Ssssee you later at home."

Anarka and Juleka slithered off into the dark. Once they were alone, Marinette brought Viperion inside the bakery and up into the house.

She opened the door to the house and said aloud, "Mom, dad! I'm home, and I brought someone to join us!"

Tom and Sabine - a smaller, Chinese woman, and a larger, hulking man with a mustache - came into the living room to greet Marinette.

"Welcome back, Marinette. You're just in time for dinner," Sabine said. "Oh, who might this handsome young man be?"

But then they recognized him.

"You're Viperion!" Tom said, delighted. "Marinette, is this the boy you've been long-distance dating for a while?"

"Um, yes, this is him." Marinette admitted.

"Well, come in, come in!" Sabine said as Tom ushered Viperion over to the dining room table.

Marinette followed, knowing that her father was going to be pretty overbearing.

As they sat down, Tom brought out a few vol-au-vent stuffed with two types of fillings - chicken and salmon, respectively.

"Help yourself, Viperion." Tom said.

"Thank you very much, sir," Luka began. He took a chicken vol-au-vent and started eating it. "Man, this is delicious! Is the puff pastry homemade?"

"It is," Tom confirmed. "So you met Marinette at the sideshow you were in?"

"Yes," Luka stated. "Everyone gets scared and runs off before I can get even one song in..."

"That's too bad." Sabine said sadly.

"Marinette stayed and continued to listen. She was the first person to ever do that." Viperion said as he placed his hand over Marinette's. She blushed while eating one of her vol au vent.

"Really?" Tom asked. "Do you have your lyre now? I'd like to hear some of your music after dinner tonight."

"I'd be more than happy to play you some music." Viperion offered.

"That'd be amazing!" Sabine said while eating her salmon vol-au-vent.

"So, I heard on the trailer that you're... Um..." Tom said, not sure how to ask.

"Viperion's not half-snake," Marinette said, realizing what her parents were trying to get at. "I tried telling the others at school, but the whole snake-human hybrid thing is fake."

"That's what we thought," Sabine confirmed as she served the potée Lorraine. "Now let's..."

"Now that we've gotten that cleared up," Tom began. "Young man, are you sure being an actor is a stable career?"

Viperion swallowed his bite of the stew, nearly choking. Marinette roughly smacked him on the back to help him, meanwhile Sabine scolded, "Tom!"

"It's fine," Luka said as he caught his breath. "It's a valid question. The movie was just something I wound up falling into. Honestly, I _do_ want to pursue a music career, but I know that it can have its ups and downs. So I have some ideas on what to do for work and still stay involved with music in the future."

"Well, at least you're thinking realistically." Sabine praised.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Luka thanked.

"Please, call me Sabine," Sabine said. "Now, please. Eat."

"Don't mind if I do." Luka said with a shrug as he started eating the rest of his food.

Marinette breathed, relieved that her father stopped with his dramatics, thinking, _'Thanks, mom.'_

Once they finished dinner, Viperion brought the family to the living room. He sat on the couch and took out his lyre before playing it. Marinette recognized the song as the one he played when they first met.

Marinette sat next to him and laid her head against his shoulder. Her parents were smiling in delight at the sight of Marinette and Luka together. They also adored the music Luka played.

When he finished playing the song, he put the lyre down and looked at her parents. They were applauding his performance.

"Young man, you are talented!" Tom said.

"Thanks," Luka thanked before making another request. "Can I bring Marinette back out for the rest of the evening?"

"So long as you bring Marinette back before curfew." Tom said.

"Of course, sir." Viperion said.

"There's plenty more of Paris to see." Marinette stated.

"There's no one else I want to see it with anyone else besides you, Marinette." Luka agreed.

Marinette blushed, popped a leg a little bit, then said, "You know... If it makes you feel better, you don't have to wear your costume anymore."

"Thought you'd never ask," Viperion chuckled before turning to her folks. "May I change in the bathroom?"

"Go ahead." Tom said as he escorted his daughter's boyfriend to the bathroom.

It took nothing short of thirty seconds. Marinette could hear zippers being opened/closed, fabric rustling, and within the minute, Luka came out in his blue jacket, white shirt, and black jeans. He ditched the mask and took out his eye contacts.

"Thanks for letting me change," Luka said, breathing in relief. "The suit gets stuffy after a while."

Luka approached Marinette, then held his hand out. Marinette put her hand into his own, and then the two teens left the house.

"Have fun, kids! But don't spend too much time out there and don't do anything we wouldn't do!" Tom said aloud.

"Don't worry, dad!" Marinette said as she shut the bakery door. She looked back at her boyfriend. "There's plenty more of Paris to see."

"And I don't want to see it with anyone else, Marinette." Luka said he continued to hold her hand.

Marinette snuggled up closer as she and her dressed-down beau started walking around Paris again. Their shadows seemed to merge and form a heart.

* * *

**And that's a wrap for this one! By the way, about those shoe sizes? I was going by the French system in this one.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this show! I have some other things in mind, too. For example, I'm working on another Lukanette story right now called "Vamped," and it's already gotten two chapters. For us Lukanette lovers, I hope you check it out and drop a few comments!**


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